Kuhl heralds U21s' 'mature performance'

Reading came away 2-0 winners in a hard fought encounter at the Madejski and now sit second in the Barclays U21 Premier League, two points behind leaders Sunderland with a game in hand.

“I thought it was a mature and professional performance,” said Kuhl. “We were safe defensively and we made it hard for them to break us down. We had good displays all over the pitch, the back four and midfield were very solid and our front four always looked a threat with the pace they have.”

Despite not playing their best football this season against the Canaries, the young Royals looked in control of the game and saw out the 2-0 victory with a solid performance. This was something Kuhl was particularly pleased about, underlining the importance of the players learning how to win in all circumstances.

“We are at an age group with the players now where it’s about their development and winning. It’s important that they learn to develop a winning mentality.

“You don’t always have to win pretty, if you look abroad, yes they develop their players, but they also have that winning mentality and that is something we are trying to instil here.”

The Royals previous outing in the U21 Premier League was a 3-3 draw away to Chelsea nearly a month before, so the win and clean sheet was a welcome return for Reading to league action.

“We are pleased to be playing again in the league because the game against Chelsea was a while ago,” Kuhl commented.

“It was a great result and a mature display. If we had played how we did tonight and lost or drawn then people’s view of the game would have been completely different, but the fact that we didn’t put in a sparkling performance and still got three points is very pleasing for us.”